By Nation special report
GAZA: A total of 27,365 Palestinians have been killed and 66,630 have been injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement, Reuters reports. Some 127 Palestinians were killed and 178 injured in the past 24 hours, the ministry added.
Israeli army says forces hit targets in Khan Younis and northern Gaza
The Israeli army has said it is continuing its attacks from the air, sea and land throughout the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the military claimed to have found rifles, RPGs ammunition, military equipment and technological assets in a compound in the southern city of Khan Younis.
It also said its fighter jets struck a number of Hamas targets, including infrastructure and launch posts in the city. The Palestinian Health Ministry earlier reported that at least 92 people were killed in overnight Israeli attacks.
sraeli forces stormed several parts of the occupied West Bank this morning, according to Wafa news agency.
Local sources told the news agency that troops stormed parts of the city of Jericho, including the Ein el-Sultan camp from the northern entrance, without making any arrests. They also raided the Balata camp, located in the east of the city of Nablus, accompanied by a military bulldozer and snipers, from several directions. Heavy gunfire was also reported. The town of Anabta in the east of Tulkarem was also raided, with sources reporting extensive searches.
Israeli forces in Gaza have systematically destroyed buildings in an attempt to create a buffer zone inside the Palestinian territory, experts and rights groups said, raising fears over the civilian cost.
The plan, not publicly confirmed by Israel, appears to entail taking a significant chunk of territory out of the already tiny Gaza Strip, something experts as well as Israel’s foreign allies have warned against.
Since Hamas militants stormed across the border on October 7, Israeli forces have targeted structures in Gaza within a kilometre (0.6 miles) of the border, said Adi Ben Nun, a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem who has carried out an analysis of satellite imagery.
More than 30 percent of all buildings in that area have been damaged or destroyed during the conflict, he said.
Pak aid for Gaza
Pakistan on Sunday sent a fifth tranche of humanitarian assistance, consisting of winterised tents, tarpaulins, and blankets, to Gaza. The consignment containing humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza was dispatched through a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) C-130, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a post on its official X handle, the ministry said: “The flight will land in Al-Arish, Egypt, where the Pakistani ambassador will receive the aid for onward delivery.” This ongoing support underscored Pakistan’s continued commitment to addressing the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of Gaza, said the ministry.
During the Israeli aggression, over 27,000 people, most of them women and children, have been martyred and over 66,000 have been wounded in the besieged territory since October 7. In a statement, the Gaza health ministry said today that a total of 27,365 Palestinians have been killed and 66,630 have been injured in Israeli strikes.
Qatar said this week that Hamas had given its “initial” approval to a planned humanitarian pause in its war with Israel and an exchange of hostage-prisoner exchange. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said: “The meeting in Paris succeeded in consolidating the proposals.”
The meeting was attended by Qatari, US, Israeli, and Egyptian officials. “That proposal has been approved by the Israeli side and now we have an initial positive confirmation from the Hamas’ side.” Ansari said there were hopes of “good news” about a new pause in the fighting “in the next couple of weeks”.